How to Pay for Home Care in the UK
Working out how to pay for care at home is one of the first things families ask about. There are three main routes, self-funding, local authority (council) funding, and NHS funding, and many people use a combination. This guide explains each option so you can plan with confidence. Our team is always happy to talk it through with no obligation.
1. Self-funding (private care)
If your savings and assets are above the means-test threshold, you'll usually pay for your own care. Self-funding gives you the most choice and flexibility over who provides your care and when it starts, often within 24–48 hours. You are not required to have a council assessment to arrange private care, though you can still ask your local authority for a free care-needs assessment and advice.
2. Local authority (council) funding
Your local council can help fund care if your needs and finances qualify. There are two steps:
- ✓Care-needs assessment – a free assessment of the support you need, which anyone is entitled to request from their council's adult social care team.
- ✓Financial assessment (means test) – the council reviews your income and capital to decide how much, if anything, you contribute. Thresholds are set nationally; the England figures have been frozen for several years.
If you're eligible, you may receive direct payments, money paid to you so you can arrange your own care from a provider of your choice, including Protocol Healthcare Services.
3. NHS funding
Where care needs are primarily health-related, you may qualify for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC), which fully funds care for people with significant ongoing health needs, or NHS-funded nursing care, which contributes towards nursing care costs. Eligibility is decided by an NHS assessment. Your GP, hospital discharge team or social worker can help you request one.
Other help you may be entitled to
Attendance Allowance (for people over State Pension age) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) (for working-age adults) are non-means-tested benefits that can help towards the cost of care. Charities such as Age UK and Carers UK offer free, independent advice on benefits and funding.
What the financial assessment actually looks at
In England the figures are set by the Care Act 2014 and have been frozen for several years. Between the two limits you contribute on a sliding scale, with a “tariff income” of £1 a week assumed for every £250 of capital above the lower limit.
- ✓Above £23,250 – you self-fund the full cost of care.
- ✓£14,250 to £23,250 – a sliding scale with tariff income.
- ✓Below £14,250 – capital ignored, income assessed.
Capital includes savings, ISAs, premium bonds, investments and most second properties. It excludes personal possessions, the surrender value of most life insurance policies, and the home you live in while you receive care there. That last point matters enormously: your property is not counted while you are being cared for in it. It is only assessed for a permanent move into a care home, and even then disregards can apply. For couples, only the person needing care is assessed. For care at home the council must also leave you a set income to live on, the Minimum Income Guarantee. Every council publishes a charging policy, which is what your assessment is worked from.
What the NHS Continuing Healthcare assessment involves
Eligibility rests on a “primary health need” rather than a diagnosis. The process starts with a short Checklist; if that is positive, a full assessment follows using the Decision Support Tool, completed by a multidisciplinary team across domains such as breathing, nutrition, continence, skin integrity, mobility and cognition. Where someone is deteriorating rapidly or approaching the end of life, a fast-track pathway can put funding in place within days. Ask for a Checklist assessment in writing. Eligibility is reviewed periodically, so it can be withdrawn if needs reduce, and requested again if health deteriorates.
Direct payments and personal budgets
A personal budget is the amount your council agrees to spend on your assessed needs. You can let the council arrange the care, ask it to manage the budget, or take the money as a direct payment and arrange care yourself. Direct payments give the most control: you can choose your own regulated provider, or employ a personal assistant directly, which brings responsibilities such as insurance, payroll and DBS checks. Where Continuing Healthcare is awarded at home, some areas offer it as a personal health budget.
One warning for self-funders
Deliberately giving away money or assets to fall below the threshold, known as deliberate deprivation of capital, can be challenged by the council, which may then assess you as though you still held it. Sensible planning is fine; disguising assets is not. Contact your council before your capital falls to the upper limit, so support begins smoothly. There is currently no cap on what you can be asked to pay for care in England.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
The thresholds above apply to England only. Wales caps non-residential care at a maximum weekly charge and uses a separate capital limit for home care. In Scotland, personal care is free for those assessed as needing it. In Northern Ireland, domiciliary care is often provided free by Health and Social Care Trusts, though this varies. If the person lives outside England, confirm the local rules.
Where to get independent advice
We arrange care; we are not financial advisers, and we will not pretend otherwise. Age UK and Citizens Advice offer free benefits checks, MoneyHelper gives impartial money guidance, and for regulated advice look for an adviser accredited by the Society of Later Life Advisers. A benefits check is the most rewarding first step, because benefits such as Attendance Allowance go unclaimed by people who assume savings rule them out.
How Protocol can help
Whether you're self-funding, using direct payments or arranging care after a hospital discharge, we'll match you with a vetted, trained Care Professional and build a care plan around your needs. Explore our home care services, including live-in care, visiting care, respite care and private nursing, or contact us for a free chat.
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Funding Questions
Common questions about paying for care at home. Can't find your answer? Our team is always happy to help.
Contact UsIt depends on your finances. If your capital is above the national means-test threshold you'll usually self-fund; below it, your local council may contribute after a care-needs and financial assessment. Some people also qualify for NHS funding where needs are health-related.
Yes, if you qualify. Request a free care-needs assessment from your local authority's adult social care team, followed by a financial assessment. If eligible, you may receive direct payments to arrange your own care with a provider of your choice.
NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) is a package of care fully funded by the NHS for adults with significant ongoing health needs. Eligibility is decided by an NHS assessment, which your GP, social worker or hospital discharge team can help arrange.
Costs depend on the type and amount of care, from occasional visiting care to full live-in support. Rather than a one-size-fits-all price, we give you a clear, personalised quote based on your needs, with no obligation.
No. The home you live in is not counted in the council means test while you are receiving care there. Property is only assessed for a permanent move into a residential care home, and even then disregards can apply.
Above £23,250 in capital you generally pay for your own care. Below £14,250 your capital is ignored and you are assessed on income only. Between the two you contribute on a sliding scale. These Care Act 2014 limits are frozen; other UK nations use different figures.